Paper condenser winding machine



Oct. 4, 1932. B. J. BUTLER 1,381,170

PAPER CONDENSER WINDING MACHINE Filed July 5, 1928 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 2 ,Bery'amz'mJfiuZ/er I Oct. 4, 1932. J BUTLER 1,881,176

PAPER CONDENSER WINDING MACHINE Filed July 5, 1928 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Oct. 4, 1932. B. J. BUTLER PAPER CONDENSER WINDING MACHINE Filed July 5. 1928 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Z 0 M 0 1 o 7 .L a m .a 1 I m [1| 9 w M on i a 1% S i l 2 m Oct. 4,-1932. J BUTLER 1,881,170

PAPER CONDENSER WINDING MACHINE Filed July 5, 1928 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR.

JzSu/Zer 16 efljam/n ATTORNEY.

Patented Oct. 4, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BENJAMIN J. BUTLER, OF SOMERVILLE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE AS- SIGNMENTS, 'IO GEIIERAIJELECTRIC COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK PAPER- CONDENSER WINDING MACHINE Application filed m 5, 1928. Serial N... 290,415.

This invention relates to an improved machine for winding electrical condensers of the paper dielectric and interposed foil type.

Hitherto in the manufacture of paper condensers of various types, machines have been used which are characterized generally by being highly complex in their structure and the operating parts not being readily accessible during use.

It is an object of this invention to provide a machine of the character described which is highly eilicient and is available for inspection and repair at all times without disarrangement of theoperating parts.

It is another object of this invention to provide a condenser winding machine, all operating parts of which are readily controlled by the operator of the machine without leaving the normal operating post.

Yet another object of this invention is the provision of such an improved machine, the parts of which are so disposed with relation to each other as to provide a maximum of efliciency in a minimum of space.

A still further object of this inventionis the provision of a machine which is so designed as to present the paper and foils to the windin mechanism in a short distance of travel and to present such materials to the winding mechanism in a tensed flat condition without the interposition of a plurality of tensioning means.

A further object of the invention is the provision of improved mandrels for use with such machines.

These and other desirable objects and advantages of the present invention will be described in the accompanying specification and illustrated in the drawings, the embodiment shown being given by way of illustration only, it being understood that other specific mechanical devices may have theunderlying features incorporated therein without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention.

In the drawings like numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views, of which Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a machine with rolls of material in position and a completed condenser on the mandrel;

Fig. 2 is a front view of the machine shown in Fig. 1, certain of the rolls of material being shown in section;

Fig. 3 is a cross section taken on line 33 of Fig. 1 showing a mandrel and the tensionlng means;

' Fig. 4 is a detailed perspective showing of a portion of a mandrel shown in Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is an end View of an improved mandrel.

Fig. 6 is a longitudinal section of the improved mandrel on line 6-6 in Fig. 5 show-' ing a removable rod;

Fig. 7 is a side elevation of Fig. 6 and Fig. 8 is a: fragmentary section on line 88 in Fig. 6 showing the spring rod in use.

Referring now to the drawings in Fig. 1, there is shown a standard or frame of cast iron or other suitable material, designated generally by the letter F. This frame comprises a base, 1, provided with integral feet, 2 and 3. Laterally of the member, 1, and extending upwardly therefrom is the frame upright, 4. This upright is provided with a bottom ledge portion, 5, which extends forwardly of the center of the frame. At the center of the frame this ledge is curved inv'ardly and upwardly as at 6 to provide a reentrant portion whose function will be' described more in detail hereinafter. Immediately above the portion 6, the frame is extended outwardly at 7 to form a projecting support for the winding mechanism and its controls. Above the control supporting portion 7, the frame is provided with another reentrantportion 8, which-at its upper portion again projects outwardly at 9, and terminates in a front curved section 10, which is prolonged upwardly and rearwardly to form the top 11, of the frame structure. The rear of the frame is a substantially vertical plane and is designated by the numeral 12.

The curvature of portion 11 of the frame is such that all portions are practically equidistant from the winding head or mandrel. taken as a center. A plurality of rolls 13, are equally spaced on the frame in an arc of a circle of which the winding head above referred to is the center. These rolls are fastened to the frame in the following man ner; the frame is provided with a plurality of bosses, 14, which are drilled at 15 to receive headed bolts, 16. These bolts pass through the bosses and extend a considerable distance beyond the frame, the threaded portion 17, being adapted to engage the spindle base 18, of spindle, 19. This base 18, abuts against the boss'l l, andis fixedly secured.

coasting of the rolls during the winding operation.

Referring now to Fig. 3, there is shown a winding mechanism. This comprises a mandrel, having a shaft 26, fitted in a bushing 26', which in turn is fitted into the frame. The bushing is threaded, as at 27, and is held in operative engagement with the frame by means of nut 28, coacting with the shoulders 29, of the bushing. The shaft, above mentioned, is adapted forfree rotation in bushing 26, and can be readily withdrawn therefrom. A clevis 30, abuts against member 29 and is integrally secured to member 26 and adapted tov rotate therewith. This clevis is provided with a slotted portion 31,

. comprised between two fork portions 32 and 33. A mandrel blade holder 34, is slotted at 35 and 36 to receive a plurality of mandrel blades, 37. These blades are spaced apart by a spacing member 38, which is adapted to engage recessed portions 39, of the blades. The blades are held in position in the holderby pins 40, and the holder in its turn is held in its position in the clevis by means of pins 41. Opposite the blade holder'the blades are provided with slots 42,-adapted to engage lock pins 43.

The lock pins are carried on a rotatable vsupporti, provided with an extension 45,

which passes thru a suitable. aperture in clampingarm 46. The rotatable memberis provided further with a threaded end portion 47, upon which is screwed a nut 48, for

the purpose of holding the parts in operative.

engagement. The clamping arm is adjustably mounted on a stub shaft 49, which in turn is screwed at 50, intosupporting bracket 51. The stub shaft is prevented from rotation by means of the lock screw 52. Clamping bolt 53, permits the clamping arm to be ,held in any position on the stub shaft as may be desired. As shown, particularly in Fig. 3, the clamping'arm may be withdrawn from engagement with the mandrel blades and thereafter dropped to permit removal of the wound condenser from the blades. The

bracket 51, is offset at 54 and 55 to define a lateral portion 56, an outwardly extending arm 57 and a downwardly extending arm 58. The arm 58 is fastened to tli'e frame 5 by any suitable means, such as bolts 59. \Vashers or spacing bushings 60, may be intGI'POSGd between the bracket and the frame to give any desired spacing when it is desired to use various sizes of mandrels to wind condensers of different dimensions.

The shaft 26 is suitably prolonged as shown at 61 and secured to a worm gear wheel 63, provided with a hub portion 62. Astud pinv64 is inserted in one side of the'g'ear wheel 63 for a purpose to be described more in detail hereinafter. The gear wheel 68 is associated with the elongated shaft 65 of an electric motor 66 which is usually of H. 1 the shaft being provided with suitable helical gearing 67 adapted to cooperate with the gear 63. A hand wheel 68 is provided on the forward end of shaft 65 for the purpose of permitting manual rotation of the gearing and consequent movement of the winding head. I I

The motor is suitably supported on a bracket 69 which is held in abutting'relw tion against the wall of the standard by means of the bolt and nut construction 70, 71. It will be noted that this arrangement provides a ready control of the winding by virtue of the fact that the hand wheel 68 projects forwardly within easy reach of the operator. The motor controls comprising a switch 7 2 and a rheostat 7 3 are secured to the motor side of frame 5 immediately below the motor and the shaft control and on the opposite side of the frame from the rolls 13, which side of the frame is generally known as the winding side., The switch and the rheostat may, of course, be replaced by the automatic stop-start push buttons now generally'employed in electrical machinery.

, To make sure that the proper number of turns of material is included in a condenser, a counting mechanism of any well known type is associated with the machine. This comprises a counter 74 provided with a trip mechanism 75 adapted to engageth'e stud 64 of the worm gear of the mandreldrive shaft. The counter is secured to a bracket 76 by screw 77, the bracket being slotted at 78 to permit adjustment of the counter and the bracket further being held in cooperative engagement with the frame by means of machine screws 79 passing thru the slot 78 into the frame proper.

A distinctly novel feature of the present invention resides in the means provided for holding the material strip together at a point between the mandrel and the material-rolls on their supports 19. This device comprises gearing a pair of rollers mounted on opposed arms 80, 81, which are in turn mounted on shafts 82, 83. The arms are secured to the shafts by any suitable means such as screws 84 passing thru members 85 into the arms. The members 85 are integral with or fixedly secured to the shafts 82, 83.

The shafts are mounted for rotation in bushings 86, which are provided with shouldered portions 87 abutting the inner face or winding side of the frame and are provided at the outside end on the motor side of the frame with threaded portion 88. The bushing is fixedly secured to the frame by means of lock nut 89 being screwed up on the threaded portion 88. Washer 90 may be interposed between the nut and the frame if desired. The shafts 82, 83 are provided with reduced portions 91 upon which are secured intermeshing gears 92, 93 which are in a 1: 1 ratio to each other. When either of the arms 80 or 81 is retracted manually to the position 80, or 81 shown in Fig. 1, the intermeshed gearing assures the simultaneous movement of the other arm.

These cut-01f arms are provided with rollers 94, 95, above referred to, mounted on spindles 96, 97 secured to the arms 80, 81 and held thereon by means of washers 98, 99 and screws 100. An important function of arms 80, 81 and rollers 94, 95 is to hold face to face together any two or more of the strips as they extend from their rolls 13 to the mandrel, particularly when the motor is stopped, so

' as to hold the strips together after the snipping or cutting or shearing off of strips as hereinafter described. This is why those elements are termed cut-off members as above. For that purpose the arm-rollers may engage the bunch of strips between them only during such temporary holding together of the strips and need not grip the strips tightly but only hold them sufliciently to prevent the ends of strips extending from their rolls 13 from flopping loose-ended from said rolls 13, as after a condenser roll has been completed and all the strips cut therefrom. In such cases the arms may be retracted manually from their stri1).-hol(ling positions of Fig. 1 to their dotted-line positions and there remain after or while the strip-ends are secured to the mandrel. For such case of the holding arms and rollers, the inertia of the parts and the friction of the intermeshing for the arms 80, 81 is sufficient to hold them in positions to left or right of the center of movement of the arms, as see fullline and dotted-line positions of Fig. 1. But

the holding arms and arm-rollers may be employed also, and preferably and usually are, in the full-line positions of Fig. 1 not only as above while the machine is stationary for strip-cutting but while it is'in operation to draw the strips from rolls 13 to the mandrel; and for such operation, and if the parts lack sufficient inertia or friction to keep them inthe full-line position of Fig. 1 while the mandrel is pulling the strips in a bunch between the rolls 94, 95, then any suitable means, such as wood for the lower arm and metal for the upper arm, or an ordinary spring-arrangement, may be provided for the purpose of causing rolls 94, 95 to grip the sheets tightly between them. In this second function of the arms and arm-rolls, they constitute not only a holding means for the strips but also a means for tensioning them as they are drawn by the mandrel from their rolls 13; and this is why they are termed also tensioning means herein. The rollers 94, 95 may be of any suitable material such as brass, steel or other metal as shown more particularly in 94 and where desired they may be provided with a covering 101 of resilient material such as felt, rubber or the like, for the purpose of permitting a better gripping of the material. In certain stages of the operation to be described further, the operator retracts the cut-off arms to the dotted-line position shown at 80, 81 and the mandrel clamping mechanism 46 is moved into place so that the locking pins 42 engage the appropriate slots in the mandrel blades.

The paper sheets are drawn manually from the rolls and threaded into the space between the mandrel blades, a sufficient length being drawn therethru to pass under one blade and over the top. The hand wheel is then manually rotated in the proper direction until two or three layers of paper have been wound on the mandrel. After this, the foil sheets are drawn into engagement between the paper dielectrics, and the cut-off or gripping rollers, or more properly, clamping arms, are brought forward, whereby the dielectrics and the interposed foils are clamped together. The counter is thenset at zero and the motor set in operation. When the appropriate number of turns of foil have been wound with the paper strips on the mandrel, the motor is stopped, after which the operator snips off the foil or foils as at points between the material-rolls 13 and rolls 94, 95, thereby preventing further drawing of foil or foil-strips by the mandrel from their rolls 13 to the'mandrel for the particular condenser being wound. The clamping arms and rollers meanwhile hold together the strips extending from the rolls 13 to the mandrel, in readiness for instant resumption of winding of the paper strips. The machine then is rotated either manually or by the motor for several more turns of paper strips from paper-rolls 13 to the condenser-roll on the mandrel, to provide an, outer layer of paper over the composite roll of foil and paper already wound on the mandrel.

In the winding of the condenser, the rolls 94, 95, not only serve to grip the paper dielectrio and the armatures, as above but also serve to smooth out these materials and present them to the winding head in their optimum smooth condition.

The leads from the foils of opposite polarity are inserted in their proper position at any time during the winding of the foils, it being sufficient to-insert strips 'of metallic conducting material-such as copper-foil or heavy tin-foil as the winding head rotates, by placing such leads between the strips being drawn from rolls 13 as such strips are about to enter between rollers 94, 95.

The construction just described provides a ready means of winding paper dielectrics and interposed metallic foils or armatures, the improvements in design permitting a simplification of construction and further permitting the entire operation to be constantly under the supervision of the operatorand at her complete control. Such control is highly advantageous, as'in actual practice, the paper and foils are supplied in continuous sheets in roll form, and oftentimes these materials have bad spots occurring therein. lVith the material, as it is being wound, constantly under the eye of the operator, she is enabled to know the condition of the material as it is fed to the winding head and to instantly stop the machine if a flaw in any one of the paper or metal sheets is apparent. lVhen this occurs, the flaw is cut out of the sheet and an insert of good material provided. In doing this, the arms 80, 81 may be retracted to the dotted-line K positions of Fig. 1 to provide free access to portions of the sheets about to reach the mandrel, to enable the operator to shear out the flawed portion of a strip; and after switch provision of a substitute untlawcd insert, the arms 80, 81 are turned back to their full-line positions of Fig. 1, and the motor restarted to complete the winding on the mandrel of the rest of the strips of paper and foils. This close inspection and repair is of the utmost importance, as any flaw in the materials tends to induce a breakdown in the condenser under conditions of use, and uniformity of materials thruout'is absolutely necessary in order to insure substantially uniform capacity of the condenser and its long life.

When the condenser on the mandrel has been formed to the desired size, or capacity, and the motor stopped, all the paper sheets while the machine has been drawing to the mandrel to form the outer paper layer on the condenser-roll as above, are snipped. off between the mandrel the clamping rolls 91, 95. The clamping bolt 53 of the clamping arm 46 is released and the clamping arm with the locking pins withdrawn, thereby permitting the removal of. the wound condenser from the mandrel. The condensers are then set aside for further processing such as compression, Waxing, testing-for capacity, and

insertion in the canisters. Meanwhile arms 80, 81 and their rollers 94, 95 hold the strips together in readiness for winding the next condenser-roll on the mandrel, which may be done by starting the motor and guiding the foil-strip ends (cut as above) between the paper strips on the rolls 91, 95.

While the construction just described provides a simple and economical means for winding electrical condensers of-the type described, improved results may be secured by the use of the winding mandrel shown in Figs. to 8 (inclusive). This mandrel comprises a metal tube 110 of any suitable material such as brass, bronze or the like, or if desired, the tube may be made of bakelite or any other material having the desired strength. A plug 111 of metal or the like, is inserted at one end of the tube and secured thereto by pins 112. This plug is tapped centrally at 113 and is threaded to engage the mandrel driving shaft. The mandrel 110 is provided with a longitudinal slot 114 in its circumference. This slot is adapted to receive a locking bar 115 which fits into the slot in such a manner as to leave a slight portion of this surface exposed beyond the circumference of the mandrel. The locking bar is a longitudinal piece of wire or rod provided at one end with a handle or withdrawing portion 116 bent inwardly to form a spring clip portion 117, which is adapted to engage the inside edge 118 of the mandrel.

A U shaped shaft retaining member or staple 119 is-provided at the other end of the channel and passes thru the mandrel 110 into the plug 111, thereby helping to retain those two members in cooperative engagement. In operation, the paper sheets are pulled forward over the slotted portion 114, the locking bar 115 is inserted under member 119 and then pushed forward so that the spring clip portion 117 engages the inside of the mandrel. The paper will thus be held firmly against the mandrel after which the usual Winding steps are carried out. lVit-li this improved construction an operator i-s-enabled to insertthe papers into the mandrel with more speed than with the flat mandrel, an improvement in winding speed of substantially having been effected by the use of this latter type. Such a type of mandrel is, of course, adapted for use where speed is a prerequisite and the simplicity of'this construction together with the ease of operation will make it highly valuable and distinctly improve the operation of the winding machine as a functional unit. lVith the use of this type of mandrel, it is possible to'do away with bracket 51 and the associate-d mandrel clamping means, thus simplifying the construction and operation of the device.

It Will now be seen that there has been provided an improved machine for winding electrical condensers of the paper dielectric and interposed metallic armature type which is characterized by improvements in design and by the use of winding heads which permit considerable increase in speed of winding without sacrificing any advantages derived from having the operating parts under constant inspection by the operator.

What is claimed is:

1. A windin machine comprising a vertical frame mem er and a support therefor; a

windinghead and mandrel, operating mechanism centrally disposed on the frame and connected to drive said mandrel; a plurality of material roll supporting means mounted on the frame, and opposed tensioning sheetholding means for material strips comprising two intermeshed arms and rolls carried by said arms between the mandrel and the material roll supporting means.

2. A winding machine for a plurality of layers of sheet material comprising a plurality of rolls of supports for material to be wound, means on which sheets of material are wound; tensioning sheet-holding means 5 for material-strips between said supports and said winding means and which comprises opposed rollers and a movable arm on which each roller is mounted; and means connecting said arms for simultaneous movement respectively to and from sheet-holding positions of the rollers.

3. A winding machine for a plurality of layers of sheet material comprising a plurality of supports for rolls of material to be wound, means on which said layers of material are wound; and tensioning sheet-holding means for material-strips between said material rolls and winding means and which comprises opposed rollers, a movable arm on which each roller is mounted, means connecting said arms for simultaneous movement, and spring tensioning means on said material-roll supports.

4. A winding machine for a plurality of layers of sheet material comprising a p1u rality of supports for rolls of material to be wound, means on which said layers of material are wound; and tensionin sheet-holding means for material strips between said material rolls and said winding means and which comprises opposed rollers, a movable arm on which each roller is mounted, means connecting said arms for simultaneous movement, and mechanism for driving said winding means either manually or by power.

5. A winding machine for a plurality of layers of sheet material comprising a plurality of rolls of material to be wound, means on which said layers of material are wound, a roller between said rolls and said means, and arranged to bring a plurality of said layers of material into contact with each other, and mechanism for readily removing said roller from its position for 63 sufiicient separation of said layers of material where they had been in contact for separate cutting of some but not all of said layers of material.

6. A winding machine for a plurality of layers of sheet material comprising a plurality of rolls of material to be wound angularly arranged widely about a means on wihich said layers of material are wound, a ro ler between said rolls and said means, and arranged to bring a plurality of said layers of material into contact with each other, and mechanism for removing said roller from its position by a single motion of the operators hand for separation of said layers of material where they had been in contact.

7 A winding machine for a plurality of sheet material comprising a plurality of rolls of material to be wound, means on which said layers of material are wound, mechanism for rotating said means, a pivotal arm provided with a roller spaced from its pivot and arranged to bring a plurality of said layers of material into contact with each other between said rolls and said means when said arm is in one position, said arm being movable about its pivot for wide angular separation of said layers of material.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature.

BENJAMIN J. BUTEER. 

